Last month we heard it out of Miami, now we’re hearing it out of Houston. A June 26 sentencing is scheduled for 3 people who were accused of Medicare fraud the other day. The $36 million Medicare billing fraud included Rhonda Fleming, 45, Bose Ebhamen, 45, and King Arthur, 54. The three were convicted on Wednesday for 3 counts; health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud Medicare, and wire fraud. Rhonda Fleming and Bose Ebhamen were also convicted of money laundering. These three are facing up to 20 years on each of the counts.
Medicare fraud has been on the news a lot recently. In recent years, Medicare fraud schemes have resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in false billings to Medicare. Most Medicare fraud happens when people bill Medicare for services that were never provided. For example, a doctor may bill Medicare for a service that you came in for yet you never were at the doctor. Fraud most commonly occurs in billing for institutional facilities (hospitals, nursing homes, etc.), billing for physician services and visits, and billing for medical equipment.
There are a few ways that you can avoid medicare scams:
- Examine any notices you get from Medicare and make sure you received all the services and prescriptions listed.
- Protect your Medicare card number and don’t give the information to anyone else
- Never accept medical supplies from door to door salespeople
- Don’t accept “free” services in return for your Medicare number
- Educate yourself about Medicare and know your rights.
If you suspect Medicare fraud, call your health care provider and contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-447-8577
